Charmian Kittredge London was married to Jack London and she was the person most associated with keeping his legacy alive after his death. So says Lisa Hire, a member of the Jack London Foundation and the speaker for the upcoming annual meeting and luncheon of the Alameda County Historical Society.

The public is invited to the Jan. 28th lunch and program, which will take place at the El Pescadore Restaurant (more information is on the group’s website, alamedacountyhistory.org).

Hire has been working with the local chapter of the California Writers Club and various others to organize a yearlong tribute to London; the launch of this effort was held this week in front of the restored Yukon cabin in Jack London Square where the author spent a winter back in 1897-98. Tuesday’s kickoff was scheduled to coincide with the 140th anniversary of the author’s birth.

As we now know, 1916 would be the final year of Jack London’s life; he would die from a combination of kidney failure and other factors in November of that year. At the time he was living at his beloved Beauty Ranch in Sonoma with his wife Charmian and a handful of employees and family members who were assisting him with realizing his dream of creating a sustainable and productive agricultural farming operation.

Charmian would live on at the ranch for many more years and would dedicate herself to being the steward of his memory. She died on January 14, 1955 at the age of 84 and under the terms of her will, the ranch and her home, filled with the couple’s memorabilia and world travel artifacts, were donated to the state of California to become a state park.

Jack London State Historic Park (www.jacklondonpark.com), located near Glen Ellen, is also participating in this year’s centennial activities.

Born in 1871 in Southern California, Charmian was six years older than her famous husband. Her mother died when she was young and she was raised by an aunt in Berkeley. She attended Mills College and showed an early independent and adventurist spirit which would prove attractive to London when they met in the summer of 1903. At the time she was working as a secretary in San Francisco, earning money to support herself, and he was a young married man with two daughters, living in Piedmont, and beginning his success as a published author. They were both part of the so called “bohemian crowd” emerging in the Bay Area in the late 1890s and early 1900s, says Hire.

They were married on November 20, 1905 shortly after Jack’s divorce was final. During the decade of their marriage, they would travel the South Seas and experience many adventures, all of which would be recounted in his many short stories, magazine articles and books. When they weren’t traveling, their ranch in the hills behind Glen Ellen would be their refuge and place where their many friends and associates would come for extended visits.

While Jack’s health was poor during his final year, no one expected that he was so close to dying, says Hire. Some have speculated that he committed suicide, but Hire does not think that was the case. “He had plans for future trips, future writing and future projects on the ranch,” she says.

After his death, Charmian committed herself to saving Beauty Ranch and promoting her husband’s legacy. She worked with movie producers to make films based on his writings, and she, too, published accounts of their colorful life together. She traveled frequently to Europe to work with agents, publishers and translators. “She became a well-known personality in her own right and never remarried,” Hire said, “although she would have love affairs with others, most notably Harry Houdini.”

Space is limited at the historical society lunch and program, so check the website. There will also be a special Jack London history walk onJan. 23, check Oakland Urban Paths for more information (www.oaklandurbanpaths.org).